Jessica Cox -Great Example of Courage

Who is Jessica Cox, you might ask?

Jessica is a 26 year old young lady who was born without arms due to a rare congenital disease, and despite her adversity she was able to triumph.

As a child she was aware of her uniqueness of not having arms as other people, she wore prosthetic arms from the age of three to fourteen but she did not like them, so she got rid of them. She felt uncomfortable with them, they were foreign to her body, and she was more comfortable doing things with her feet; I guess that old saying is true “you don’t miss what you never had.” She accepted herself for the person she was and that made her uncomfortable or in-adaptable to having something on her body that was not apart of her. One day on her way to school before boarding the school bus she took off her prosthetic arms and threw them away, and since that day she never looked back, and she never wore any type of prosthetic again.

It is truly amazing how this young lady conquered her fear of flying, and now she flies high and touches the sky without arms. Nothing stops Jessica, she’s very confident, poised, and ambitious, and if she wants something she pursues it until she accomplishes it. She went to the University of Arizona and achieved a degree in psychology, and continues to reside in Arizona today with her husband.

Jessica Cox is the first person in aviation history to hold a pilot certification and fly an airplane with her feet. She conquered her fear of flying and earned her wings in October of 2008, she also drives a car without modification and holds a non-restricted drivers licensed. She does everything a normal person with arms would do; the only difference is, she does it with her feet and she does it exceptionally well.

Flying an airplane came about because of one man’s encouragement and belief in Jessica, he introduced and opened up the door into the world of aviation to her, and with hard work and perseverance she was liberated in the skies.

In August of 2005 Jessica was approached by COL. Robin Stoddard, the Executive Director and Founder of Wright Flight Inc. which is a non-profit organization in Tucson, Arizona; he was very impressed with Jessica’s ability and accomplishments in her life, and went on to offer her another challenge.

The Colonel didn’t look at her disability but he saw Jessica’s strength and determination, and he knew she could do this hands down or in this case without hands. The Wright Flight organization is also an inspiration themselves and has shown that any thing is possible through hard work and dedication. They use aviation as a method to motivate, inspire, and encourage young people in achieving and accomplishing their goals through hard work and discipline.

Jessica is an inspiration to all, she’s a recognized international inspirational keynote speaker where she talks to young people about her life, struggles, and accomplishments and encouraged them to not give up on themselves, their dreams, and life. She also mentors children with the International Child Amputee Network. Jessica is also the first person without arms to hold a double black belt in the American Tae Kwon-Do Association, she’s an avid swimmer and surfer.

Jessica was not limited in her mind and that enabled her to go beyond physical limits and achieve things most people are not able to achieve in life. Jessica thinks the way we think and react to things have a greater impact on our lives rather than our physical constraints or limitation. She says “I may not have arms but that does not determine who I am or who I can become.” The power of the mind is incredible, Jessica’s worst fear in life was the fear of flying and she was able to overcome her fear, and gained power. She says that when she flies it gives her the greatest feeling of freedom, independence and power. Jessica wants to be able to get certified one day as a pilot instructor in order to teach people with disabilities to accomplish the same sense of freedom and independence that she gained from flying.

People let fear control their lives and stop them from doing what they really want to do, and that’s a trick of the enemy which is Satan. He uses our mind against us in order to cripple us because he knows if he’s able to stop us from thinking, it will stop us from doing, be aware that your thoughts do control your actions.

Fear is rooted in the lack of knowledge, the lack of faith, and the unknown. Most people are not willing to go beyond their comfort zone, and they become stuck and complacent in life. In order to challenge your self you have to get beyond your sense of inadequacy and fear, and be open to all new possibilities regardless of public opinion.